Steam heating system



Nov. 24, 19311 G. CAMPBELL 1,833,824

STEAM HEATING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' Nov. 24, 1931 e. CAMPBELL 1,833,824

STEAM HEATING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,efi

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ATTORNEYS.

1931- G. CAMPBELL STEAM, HEATING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 1926 SSheets-Sheet 5 l s 1 T e? M 4 K (m o Patented Nov. 24, 1931 umrr. STATES GRANT CAMPBELL, OF SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY STEAM HEATING SYSTEM Application filed. July 1, 1926. Serial No. 119,929.

Railroad car heating involves special problems whlch have to be met. For example, there should be not less than ten pounds steam pressure in the train pipe of the last car, in order properly to heat that car. In consequence of this there is need for variation in the minimum initial pressure at the first car, depending upon outside tempera ture, the number of cars and the types of cars and connections used. The necessary exposure to open air of the train pipe tends toward considerable condensation in this pipe. At the same time the necessary small size of the train pipe, and the hose con necting one car with another, produce a tendency to a substantial drop in pressure through each car, which under normal heating load may amount'to ten pounds per car. Another condition is the need for frequent reversals of flow in the train pipe due to the change of direction of travel and the reversing of the engine at terminals; this necessitating that the heating system in all cars shall be alike and capable of proper operation in any position in the train; and preferably the system in each car should be such that it may cooperate with other cars equipped with different heating systems. Another condition is the necessarily different rate of condensation and discharge of water in the various cars due to the differ ences in pressure in the several cars. It is an object of the present invention to meet these requirements with the greatest possible efficiency.

A particular object of the present invention is to afford the substantially automatic and continuous removal of water as it condenses and collects in the piping in each car. Another object is to afford a progressive decrease in the amount of pressure drop in each car from the front toward the rear. Another train pipe. 7

Fig. 1.

sure at the rear end car may be maintained object is to afford the automatic and prompt blowing off to the atmosphere and discharge of water and steam ineach car whenever the pressure for any reason maybe taken off the V Qther and further'objeets and advantages of the invention will'be explained in the following description, and other advantages will be apparent tothose skilled in thesubject. To the attainment of the objects and advantages referred to the present invention consists in the steam heating system and the novel features of apparatus,arrangernent, combination, structure and detail herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying'drawings Fig. 1 is a partial and diagrammatic view of the heating system of a railroad car, embodying the present invention. 7 A

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of portions of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view of substantially the same arrangement as shown in Fig. 2, with certain variations which will be described; v Fig. 4 is a modification showing a differ-' ent type of orifice unit and mode of interconnecting several thereof in series. I a

Fig. 5 is a further modification showing another variation in the form of the orifice element or unit. v

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a simplified and more compact embodiment; and Fig. 7 in similar view shows a variation.

Fig. 8 indicates a railroad train with the invention applied in the form of Figs. 1 and 2. I

The following conditions may be assumed as illustrative in connection with a description of a convenient embodiment 9 of the present invention. Bythe continuous draining of the train pipe 10 it is kept substantially free of water and dry, and it therefore acts more efiiciently as a carrier of steam, reducing largely the pressure drop from the engine to the last car, and therefore enhancing the heating eiiiciency, The steam presfor example at ten pounds per square inch,

with the automatic discharge or relief valve hereof constantly wide open. The trapping system of this'invention is in constant action, discharging the condensate to .the atmosphere. The rate of discharge will be slow due to the relatively low pressure in the end car, theexcess of condensate, and resistance of the orifices in the sytem. In the second car, counting from the rear end, the pressure may be about twenty pounds, with the V automatic valve wide open and the orifice only periodically to discharge excess water. Inthe fifth car the pressure may be perhaps forty-six pounds and the automatic Valve will remain closed except when excess Water is present, and a continuous blow will occur through the orifices the same as with the preceding car. The same description can be carried forward through any number of cars to the front of the train. As the pressure increasestoward the engine the tendency of the automatic valve to open decreases, but due to the higher pressure the orifice system .is better able to discharge any surplus water present. It is intended with the present invention, if applied throughout a train, that the control shall be entirely automatic and thus eliminate certain manual operations necessary with prior systems; and the pres ent invention also is able toeliminate the objectionable continued noisy blowing of steam from train pipes in terminals.

, Referring to Figs. 1, 6 and 7 the train pipe 10 may be the usual steam pipe line running from the locomotive to the rear car and continuously coupled up between cars by flexible or hose couplers 10 Introduced in the steam line, usually near the center of the car, is a cross connection or fitting 11 from whiclrcross pipes 12 may extend to the two opposite sides of the car. If desired a vapor regulator of usual type may be employed, and

- such aregulator 13 is indicated, although in some cases thismight be dispensed with, and the present invention perform, thefunctions thereof. From the regulator 13 is shown a pipe connection 1s, 14 to a cut-out valve 15 which may be the usual valve near the floor withinthe car. It is usual to have two outout valves and asecondone 16 is shown. A radiator or extended pipe 17 is shown c0nnected with the valve 15 and a second radiator or pipe 18 is shown connected with the valve 16. These radiators may extend along the length of the car as usual and either oneor both may be put into or out of action by the fioor valves. Fig. 1 indicates also the usual drip pipes 19, and the return pipe 20 from the floor valves to the regulator 13. The apparatus thus far described is not in itself new herein and no claim is made thereto apart from the novel features yet to be described. V

At the lower side of the cross connection 11 is shown a drain pipe 21 arranged to catch and accumulate water condensing in the train pipe. This preferably connects with the control orifice system only by a lateral extension pipe 21, for reasons to be explained. Fig. 3 shows a. valve 22 interposed .in' passage 21; and it may for example be a globe valve comprising a seat 23, and a disk 24+, the disk for example, carrying a thimble shape sleeve or strainer 25, having numerous perforations of, for example, onemillimeter in diameter.

The control orifice system is shown'as comprising a first orifice unit or element 26 closed on, top by a plug 26 and followed by second and third units27 and 28, this system containing a plurality of internal orifices or nozzles, three of them 29, and 31 being shown. These successive orifices are preferably of progressively increasing diameter or area;

For example orifice 29 may be of 1.5 mm.

diameter while the second orifice 30 may be of 2 mm. diameter and the third orifice 31 may be of 2 mm. diameter. Manifestly there will be a constant flow through the control orifice system, which will be at a greater rate with water present than with dry steam, as will be further described. The steam and water which is discharging from the final orifice 31 may pass by pipe 32 to the atmosphere or preferably to another part of the apparatus, as will be described.

There is shown a separate connection 33 from the drain pipe 21 to a relief valve 34 which is arranged to alforda bodily discharge of excess water, under control of the conditions in the control orifice system 2628. The relief valve is indicated diagrammatically as having a seat 35 engageable by a disk 36 which connected to a diaphragm or piston 37 under constant pressure from a spring 3 I T he spring is selected or set to give such a low pressure that the relief valve will remain normally closed due to the existing pr'essure in the drain pipe 21 and connection 33,

acting on the diaphragm 37. The casing of the valve 34 is connected by a pressure pipe 39 with the control orifice system, for example with the second orifice unit 27 so that the depressed pressure at this point cooperates with the spring in the control of the valve. The spring38 may be set so that when the pressure dilference at the two sides .of the diaphragm is of a predetermined amount, for

example between twenty and twenty-five pounds, the valve will be caused to open and discharge act umulated water, whereas with a lower pressure transmitted through the pipe 39 the valve will-remain closed, thus preventing the direct escape of steam when there is no excess water in the pipe 33. The number of orifices in the control system may be varied in accordance with the initial pressure, and the size of the orifices may be varied in accordance with the expected amount ofv dis charge to be taken care of. The figures and sizes already mentioned may be approximately correct with initial steam pressure of from to 100 pounds and with amounts of water discharge up to 1500 pounds per hour.

Instead of discharging from the control orifice system direct to the atmosphere, and instead of discharging water from the relief valve direct to the atmosphere the following arrangement may be employed. relief valve is shown an orifice unit 40 followed by a second unit 41 and so forth to a final unit 43 from which extends a discharge pipe 44. The pipe 32 discharging from the control orifice system is indicated as leading into the final'orifice unit 43 of'the secondary orifice system. The units or elements of the secondary orifice system may be provided with orifices or nozzles 45, 46, 47 and 48. which may be of progressively increasing size, for example 3 mm., 4 mm., 5 mm., and 6 mm. The combined orifice systems not only cooperate to rid the train pipe'of excess water butthey act as a muffler to insure a quiet, regular and slow discharge. The otherwise waste steam may obviously be piped back to, and so utilized in, the radiator, wherein low pressure exists.

The several orifice units as shown in Figs. 1-3 may be interconnected. elements cacl containing an orifice member or nozzle, and they may be substantially as diagrammatically indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fig. 4'indicates a modified form of orifice unit. Three of the units 50, 51 and 52 are shown, each of them having at its upper end a perforated or slotted bead or flange 54. At the foot of the series is shown a. separate head piece 55, and theentire series is interconnected by four clamp rods 56, which are put under tension to hold the elements tightly assembled, each element having a tapered lower end and a flared opening at its upper end to receive the tapered end of thenext unit above. Instead of placing the orifice member itself in the entrance or exit of the chambered unit there is shown in Fig. 4 a division wall 57 crossing,

Below the in Fig. 3. It will be noticed that the opening 59 is larger than the orifice member 58 and readily permits the insertion and setting of tongue 66 adapted to fit into the groove 64 of the next lower unit. A threaded opening 67 is shown at the upper end andfa tapered threaded opening 68 at the lower end of the unit, the latter intended to receive an orifice member in case it is desired to employ two orifices in a single unit. The diagonal division wall'70 is apertured to receive a thimble shaped orifice member 71 and thechamber wall opposite this member is apertured at 2 and closed by a plug 73.

Fig. .6 shows a simplified embodiment wherein the steam pipe line 10 contains .a fitting 81 with drain pocket 82, delivering by pipes 83 and 84 to the relief valve 85, which preferably, except in the rear cars, remains full of water and only. discharges partially when the excess water floods over intopipes 83 leading to the orifice system. The valve contains a movable pressuresensitive device or diaphragm 86, with a valve casing 87 at one side and control casing 88 at the other side. Pipe 84 leads into the chamber 87, and

the outlet 89 may be a restrictedone, formed in an internal projection 90. The outlet may be controlled by a valve disk member 91 carried by a yoke 92 mounted on the diaphragm. The valve may be normally closed, as shown,

but when open discharges through pipes 93,

and through a further restriction or orifice if required and then preferably passes to waste. The controlorifice system here consists of the chamber 88 with an admission orifice nozzle 95 from pipe 86 to the chamber and outlet orifice nozzle 96 delivering to a pipe 97 which may join with waste pipe 93 as shown. The pressure spring 98 in chamber is adjustable by an externally accessible device or screw 99.

In any embodiment, and wherever positioned along the train pipe the principle'of action is substantially the same, and may be described as follows. -VVhen water is not in excess, or directly after any discharge by the relief valve, steam only flows to the orifices and pressure chamber. The steam expands in pas-sing through the first or smaller orifice, but'is restricted in its passage and a quite low pressure prevails in the chamber. In the front cars where the pressure is high the pressure drop through the inlet orifice will be great, and this low pressure workswith thespring, tending to press open the valve, whereas the full pressure is applied to the diaphragm in the Valve chamber, and over- I compressthe spring the valve closes as stated.

If however the car on which the apparatus is installed is near the rear of the train the full or high pressure will usually be too low to efilect'closing of the valve whatever the pressure drop, so that there, as desired, the relief valve is continuously open, allowing the slow blowolf of low pressure steam in addition to that blowing through the control orificesysteni, and thus keeping dry the train pipe. The discharge is muflied, and while continuous, is in fact negligible, any lossor waste being far more than offset by gain otherwise in efficiency and economy of'operation. 1

At those cars where the valve is normally closed the following action occurs upon accumulation in the system of excess water from the train pipe. After the valve pipe has filled the orifice pipe will fill, and will carry hot water to the orifice system. -Water traversing the first orifice into the pressure chamber is offar greater quantity by weight than the flow of steam when the pipes are dry. The water passing into the chamber evaporates at the depressed pressure, and this produces steam at such rate that the depressed pressure will be relatively high, far higher than the depressed pressure resulting from mere steam'flow. The difference is so substantial that the'valv e spring is readily selected or adjusted to open the valve for excess of water and close it when the excess is eliminat'ed,-so that, as stated, the action in the forward cars is a periodical discharge of accumulated water by the relief valve 34 or 85, keeping the train pipe dry.

It is to be understood that the same system can be used to eliminate condensate not merely from the train pipe, but from the radiators. This condensate is usually water as the heating vapor is usually and preferably steam, but in using the terms water and steam it is to be understood that any liquid and thevapor thereof are included. Also, in

referring to the head end and rear end of the train, itis understoodthat this is on the assumption that the source of vapor under pressure is at the head end of the train, as

is usual; andby the head or forward end is therefore intended to mean near the source while by the rear end is meant simply remote from the source ofpressure. While in one embodiment the control orifice system is shown as containing two orifices and in an other embodiment three orifices, it is to be understood that a greater number of orifices could be employed, which would sometimes be useful in case the vapor is used under a higher pressure than herein designated.

As a car heating system the invention may be described as combining witha radiator and a supply line or train pipe which conducts steam, to the radiator, a passage or pocket receiving water condensed in the line, an automatic discharge'means comprising a continuously open orifice system to which the drain passage leads, the same continuously discharging to waste to keep the line free of condensate. The system in some cases may thus operate with the orifice series and without the relief valve.v The full embodi- I ment of the invention however comprises in connection with the orifice-system'a relief valve discharging water from the pocket or passage and means whereby the pressure con- ,ditions in the orifice system control the relief valve. The connections between the steam pipes and the orifice system and relief valve are preferably such, as shown in'the drawings that the excesswater will first fill the valve and then overflow to the orifice system, thus maintaining the valve normally full of water and protecting the diaphragm from contact with steam. The diaphragm is representative of any pressure sensitive cevice by which the valve is opened and closed,

with the full steam pressure at one side and the depressed pressure of the orifice chamber opposing it, and means such as a spring working with the depressed pressure to open the valve when water isfiiowing to the orifice system. V

This invention enables auniform or stand-- ard apparatus to be used in all of the cars of a train in spite of the progressive decrease matically adapting itself to the existing pressure and operating to keep the train pipe-dry and therefore improve its steam carrying capacity. The control orifice chamber may be described as an evaporation chamber, be

cause when the hot condensate passes through the inlet orifice it evaporates and produces a higher depressed pressure in the chamber than when steam only traverses the'orifice. The purpose of the inlet and outlet orifices is to give restrict-ed passage into andfrom the chamber so as to maintain a. variable depressed pressure, and in referring to an orifice it is intended to include any analogous restrictive passage; for example instead of a.

single aperture the orifice might consist of a plurality or a multiplicity of smaller apertures having the same operative effect.

It will be further seen that the control of the relief valve is a yoint control by the train 1 pipe pressure and the orifice chamber pre sits sure, and is preferably a control by the difference between these two pressures. The result of this arrangement is that when the apparatus is used in a forward car, with high steam pressure, the valve is normally closed, but is opened intermittently whenever necessary to discharge excess condensate, while when used at a rearward car the low steam pressure preferably causes the :valve to remain normally and continuously open for the constant discharge of low' pressure steam. The arrangement'may be described as utilizing the excess of pressure in the steam pipes over the depressed pressure in the chamber, and opposing this excess to some predetermined or spring pressure, in such a way that the valveis open either when the steam pipe pressure is low, as at the rear of the train, or when the pressure excess is low, for example at the forward part of the train when excess condensate has collected and passed to the inlet of the control chamber.

Fig. 7 shoWs a more compact embodiment than Fig. 6, eliminating the pipe 83, and admitting the steam or excess water to the orifice system by placing the inlet orifice as a connection from chamber 87 to chamber 88, for example, as an aperture 95 formed directly in the diaphragm 86, preferably as high as possible. The embodiments of Figs. 6 and '7 have been made the subject of claim in my application, Serial No. 131,645, filed August 26, 1926.

In any embodiment of the invention a substantial decrease in the initial or forward car pressure is permitted, thus materially reducing the steam'temperature and greatly prolonging the life of the rubber coupling hose ordinarily employed between the cars of railway trains. Assuming a fourteen car train and a steam pressure of 140 pounds per square inch at the forward end of the train pipe this would mean a steam temperature of 360 F. These conditions are on the assump tion of cold winter weather with an outside temperature of say 14 F.; a milder temperature requiring less steam pressure at the front end. lVith the present invention due to keeping the train pipe dry and clear a considerably lower initial pressure may be used. The pressure of 140 pounds may be reduced to 100 pounds or considerably 10wer. This means that the initial steam temperature is reduced from 360 F. to 337 E, which may be a critical difference in reducing the destruction of the hose coupling by overvulcanizing and deterioration due to the high pressure steam. l 7

There has thus been described a steam heating system, especially adapted to trains of railroad cars, embodying the principles.

and attaining the objects of the present invention. Since many matters of operation, arrangement, combination, structure and deplurality of cars in tandem and supplying steam for heating the several cars with progressively decreasing pressure in the successive sections from'headto rear of the train, and automatic discharge means foreachof the pipe sections, said means comprising a.

passage receiving the condensate from the pipe section, an orifice system connected with said passage having asuccession of orifices with a control chamber at an intermediate point, a discharge valve connected with said 1 passage separately fromsaid orifice system for discharging water accumulated insaid passage, and means operated from-said con trol chamber for causing said valve to open discharged.

2. In a train heating system' a steam pipe extending through the cars of the train and having sections connected in tandem and carrying progressively decreasing pressures from section to section, radiator pipes'within the cars'laterally connected to thetrain pipe sections, and an automatic means connected to each of such sections for discharging water condensed therein, ea'ch su'chmeans comprising a discharge passage and a valve connected to the train pipe sectiont0 receive and discharge the condensate, an evaporation chamber with restrictiveinlet and outlet, a connection separate from said valve connecting the train pipe section to the chamher to deliver to the chamber part of the condensate, whereby the chamber pressure inversa, and control means operated jointly by the train pipe pressure and chamber pres sure to control the discharge valve, where'- by at a car having-high steam pressure the valve is normallyclosed but is opened intermitteritly to discharge excess condensate, while at a car havingflow steam pressure the valve is normally open fordischarge of low pressure steam.

- 3. In a train heat-ing system a train steam pipe having sections at successive cars connected in tandem and carrying progressively decreasing pressures from the sou-roe of steam to the train end, radiator pipes in the cars laterally connected to the. trainpipe.

sect-ions, an automatic means'for discharging excess condensed Water at each section, such means comprising adischarge. passage and valve connected to the train pipe. to receive and discharge the condensate, a control prescreases with excess of condensate and'vice 31-10 whenever an excess of water has'collected, 9

and to close when such'excess of water has sure chamber having restrictive inlet and outlet, aconnection separate from said valve connecting the pipe section to the chamber, to deliver to the chamber, excess condensate after the valve is fully charged, whereby the chamber pressure increases with excess of condensate and vice versa, and avalve adjusting device operated jointly by thetrain pipe pressure and the chamber pressure.

4. A train heating system comprising successive sections of train steam pipe connected in tandem from the steam source to the train end, and conducting steam at progressively lower pressures from section to section, in combination with a relief valve foreach train steam pipe section to receive and discharge water condensing in such pipe section, a control orifice system arranged to. receive; hot

wvater condensing in such pipe section-and accumulated in excess between the pipe section and the valve, such orifice system having'open orifices witha vaporization cham ber between each two successive orifices, and a device operated through a connectiontrom the chamber whereby the pressure condition in the chamber controls the valve;

5. A system as in claim 4 and wherein the device comprises a pressure sensitive member or diaphragm acted upon by the train pipe pressureopposed by the vaporizationcham ber pressure, whereby the valve will be main- .tained open except when the: train pipe pressure is .high and the accumulated condensate is not in excess and the pressure therefore is low int-he vaporization chamber.

6. A train heating system comprising successive, sections of train steam pipe connected in tandem from the steam source to the train end, and conducting steam. at progressively lower pressures from section to section, in combination with a relief valve for each-train steam pipe section to receive and-discharge water condensing in such pipe section, a control orifice system arranged to receivehot water condensing in such pipe section and accumulated in excess between the pipe section and the valve, such orifice systemhaving open orifices with a vaporizationchambcr between each two successive orifices, anda pressure sensitive device movable to close the valve by opposed operation of high train pipe pressure and low chamber pressure, butto open it by either low train pipe pressure or high chamber pressure. 7. A train heating system comprising successive sectionsot train steam pipe connected in tandem from the steam source to the train end, and conducting steam at progressively lower pressures from sectionlto section, in combination with a relief valve for each train steam pipe section to receive and discharge water condensing in such pipe section, a-con trol means operative upon accumulation ol excess condensate to open the valve, and a mufliing system comprising successive oriarising successive orifices with a vaporiza tion chamber between each two successive orifices, and having a final outlet to atmos phere, and adischar-ge passage from the orifice system to the muttling system;

1 In testimony whereof, I have afiix-ed my f signature hereto.

l GRANT GAMPBELL 

